Trump isn’t at the G-20 summit but he’s dominating the debate

Many leaders from Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa at the G-20 summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru last week made clear their alarm at prospects for a sharp U.S. turn inward on trade, health and environmental policy with Trump’s looming return to the presidency.

“Isolation, protectionism and trade wars only lead to recession, conflict and poverty," said Gen. Luong Cuong, Vietnam’s new president. “Now more than ever, we need to eliminate the mindset of ‘one side wins, the other loses’ and not allow nationalism to distort policy."

President Biden didn’t mention Trump in remarks at a G-20 session on climate change on Tuesday, but he urged leaders who shared his belief in multilateral solutions to global problems not to back down—even though he will soon be gone from the world stage.

“History is watching us," Biden said. “I urge us to keep the faith and keep going."

It was a tough sell, even to those who agreed with him.

Some leaders seemed more intent on signaling to Trump that they were open to cutting deals that spare their economies and established defense arrangements from too much disruption. Others sought to remind the president-elect that their countries gave more to the U.S. in the form of investments than they cost Washington in overseas alliance commitments and other favorite Trump targets.

“The challenges the global community faces today can only be addressed through multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow and the strengthening of global governance for both present and future generations," read the collective statement by G-20 leaders.

Senior Biden administration officials hinted at their concern that agreements they have reached on the use of artificial intelligence or on fighting climate change might collapse after Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Biden called for global cooperation on helping Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, brokering a cease-fire in Gaza and ending the war in Sudan.

“The incoming administration isn’t in the business of providing us assurances about anything, and they’ll make their own decisions as they go forward," Biden’s national-security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters.

When Biden met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, Xi directed some of his opening remarks not at the president but directly at Trump.

“Make the wise choice," Xi said about the future of U.S.-China relations. “China is ready to work with the new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation, and manage differences." Biden followed by championing the need for continued leader-level engagement with Beijing: “These conversations prevent miscalculations, and they ensure the competition between our two countries won’t veer into conflict."

Facing Trump’s threat of tariffs on exports to the U.S. of 60% or more, Beijing is lobbying hard that targeting trade would be a mistake. Unlike during Trump’s previous presidency, when China’s economy looked healthier and Beijing was able to negotiate a trade deal with the U.S. from a position of strength, the country lacks a clear pathway to growth and is now more export-dependent.

Still, few world leaders appeared optimistic at persuading Trump to change course from afar.

“I think we are moving to a new protectionist world, led by the U.S.," said Andrés Velasco, a former Chilean finance minister, in Peru. Questions about Trump’s commitment to the U.S. security umbrella in Europe and in Asia could further reorder economies, Velasco added. “Things that seemed very unlikely are happening."

A senior Japanese official, when asked about Trump’s return, listed ways Tokyo has bolstered the American economy, citing direct investment in the automotive sector and research-and-development funding. The official also noted that Japan, home to some 55,000 U.S. troops, will soon spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defense.

“We can work out all these issues with a new administration, and we have to," the official continued.

Officials from Europe and Asia warned Trump against forcing Ukraine to make a peace deal that allows Russia to capture territory it seized. French President Emmanuel Macron warned about a stark reversal in climate-change and free-trade policies.

“It is all fragile and can be questioned at any moment by [countries] that don’t respect the terms or make an exit," he said of the Paris climate agreement that Trump has threatened to leave once in office. On trade, Macron added, “Any breaking up of the international order by tariffs policies pursued by the strongest will encourage the others to do the same."

U.S. officials spent days facing questions about whether their policies—especially around clean-energy investments—would survive the Trump era.

“We have found an alignment of interests with a large number of countries in the world, including in particular our closest partners and allies. I don’t think those interests change even if there is a transition from one U.S. administration to the next," said Jon Finer, Biden’s deputy national-security adviser.

Annie Linskey contributed to this article.